Choices Never Say Goodbye
by RhysRaynbeau
Summary: A love triangle between Dally, Ponyboy, and Johnny. Johnny and Ponyboy are in love alright, but Johnny can't help but have second thoughts when he's around his idol. Rated M for future chapters.
1. Comfort

A collaboration story made with my lovely girlfriend, about a fictional love triangle between Dallas Winston, Ponyboy Curtis, and Johnny Cade.

Sadly, I don't own The Outsiders. If I did, Two-Bit would totally be with some chick named Geli (_ridiculous_, amirite?) and Dally and Johnny would still be alive. All rights belong to S.E. Hinton. 

Chapter 1

_Choices. People make 'em all the time. Some good, some bad, some that don't even matter at all. But sometimes people make choices that have long-term effects that can really mess a person up, even if it's not affecting the person who made that choice. It happens all the time, and I'm almost ashamed to admit I once made a choice like that._

It's dark and windy and there's a young kid out who looks like he can't be more than 14 years old. Around midnight and he's all by himself, but can barely keep himself up and steady. He's only got half a clue as to where he's going, and he's not even sure if his destination is close by anymore. But the rain is starting in, so he just needs some sort of cover at the moment. The boy's world is going dark as he nears some sort of roofing, but when his legs bump into some stairs he crashes onto the wood, giving up for the moment, as he's dry and safe from previous harm. 

* * *

><p>Ponyboy Curtis jolted awake from his half-sleep when he heard a loud thump from outside. He and his brothers left the front door unlocked all the time, but he couldn't help but be a little paranoid about outside noises, especially when it was around the middle of the night and was raining hard. He immediately poked at his older brother when a groan followed shortly after. Soda muttered and turned away, only to receive more harder, persistent pokes. He was immediately greeted with Pony's bright greenish-gray eyes looking positively frightened.<p>

"Soda!" he hissed at him, being as quiet as possible. "I-I heard a noise outside! I think someone's out there..."

Sodapop was quiet for a moment, listening to the hard winds and rain beating on the roof outside. "Pony...c'mon, it's prob'ly just the rain...go back to sleep."

"Soda please..." Ponyboy pleaded. "What if it's a robber? Or a killer that's gonna tie us all up and kill us off one by one...?"

Soda frowned, but sighed, getting up slowly and pulling on some jeans. "I swear Ponyboy, you really oughta lay off those books your teachers give ya'..." He rubbed his eyes, dragging his feet all the way to the front door with a tentative-looking Ponyboy waiting by their bedroom door. Soda cracked open the door, the wind greeting his face harshly, and looked around; stopping when he saw someone lying on the porch. His heart skipped a beat when he realized who it was.

He turned around, urgently beckoning for Ponyboy to come over. When his little brother finally managed to work up the courage, he told him what the noise was. "It's Johnny...I think he passed out here."

The name "Johnny" struck a panic nerve in Ponyboy's system. He rushed over to his fallen friend, turning him on his back and gingerly touching his face, noticing the bruises on the boy's tan face. Looking back up at Sodapop, he lifted up Johnny's limp upper-half, getting a soft moan in response.

"Help me out here Soda, we gotta get him inside..."

Soda obliged, grabbing up Johnny's legs with Ponyboy holding up his torso, and helped bring him over to their couch. They placed him down, Soda taking off his muddy shoes so Darry wouldn't get mad about the couch being too dirty.

"He looks hurt bad," Ponyboy mumbled to himself. "Soda, do we got any ice? His eye looks swollen..." Soda nodded, going into the kitchen.

Ponyboy knelt beside Johnny, holding his hand and looking at his wet clothes. He already knew that Johnny's parents were the ones who did the damage. But every time Johnny came to them looking beat-up, he looked worse and worse every time; Pony could never understand why someone would wanna hurt such an innocent kid. Although Johnny never showed it emotionally, it was obvious he didn't understand it either. Maybe that's why he was so naïve about always going back home.

Ponyboy kissed his hand softly, dropping it almost immediately once he heard Soda's footsteps come back toward the living room. He had a bag of ice wrapped in a cloth and was handing it to Ponyboy. "Hey...me an' Steve gotta get to work early in the morning so I'm goin' back to bed. Take care of Johnny, but don't stay up too late. You know Darry'll kill ya' if he finds out you were up past midnight on a school night."

Pony nodded, taking the towel and lightly placing it over Johnny's right eye. "Alright...see ya' tomorrow Soda. Goodnight."

After Sodapop retreated back to the bedroom, Ponyboy rested his cheek on Johnny's chest, looking at that tired face. He felt awful knowing he couldn't do much to help his best friend. No...not just that. Johnny was his lover, and he was supposed to be able to protect his lover, no matter what. Pony just felt shitty, seeing poor Johnnycake looking so hurt. It just wasn't fair. Johnny wouldn't hurt a fly. He didn't deserve everything his parents threw at him.

He sat up, kissing Johnny's cheek softly, leaving the towel on his cheek and standing up. He really did need to get some sleep. He'd be able to check on Johnny later in the morning. "Goodnight Johnny...I love you."


	2. Kissing You Better

**((Aahhh this was longer than I thought! But I'm not sorry!))**

**The usual disclaimer: I do not own the Outsiders. All rights belong to S.E. Hinton.**

Chapter 2

Johnny woke to the sound of nothing, feeling sore and tired still. The silence was almost scary, and he nearly let out a whimper when he couldn't figure out where he was at first glance. But calm washed over him as he slowly turned on his side and recognized the familiar small kitchen across the room. He was surprised when a damp cloth fell from his face and thumped on the floor. Johnny's hand automatically flew to his face, only to flinch when he touched a bruise. He sighed, wishing he could just lay there forever since anyone wasn't home anyways. But he knew he couldn't linger there as long as he wanted to; it was well into the afternoon and this wasn't his house to call home. He figured he could just finish his sleep in the lot.

He struggled to get up, groaning and wincing repeatedly until he finally managed to shakily stand up. The bruises all over him hurt like hell, and he really didn't want to walk all the way to the park. But as he headed to the front door, he heard the small squeak of a bed coming from the back. He paused, wondering if Darry or Sodapop was taking a quick nap before going to work. It couldn't have been so late into the afternoon that Ponyboy was already home after track practice.

Not bothering to look for a clock, he quietly trudged over to the source of the noise that came from Pony and Soda's room. A small smile came to his face when he saw the familiar figure curled up on the bed. Johnny tiptoed over to him, carefully crawling onto the bed and lying against his best friend, wrapping his arms around Ponyboy. The other boy mumbled softly, snuggling against the sudden warmth behind him. His eyes sleepily opened when he felt a gentle kiss on his ear.

"Mm...mom...?" Ponyboy breathed quietly. Johnny almost felt guilty for kissing him when he heard that. Pony must've been having another dream about his parents, and it wouldn't be the first time. But Johnny said nothing as Ponyboy woke himself up more and realized he was only dreaming. He turned around his Johnny's arms and gave a half-smile.

"Hey Johnny...good to see you're awake." Johnny nodded and returned the smile, his nose touching Ponyboy's. But just as he leaned in to rest lips upon his lover's, Ponyboy's eyes widened and he pulled away quickly. Before Johnny could even ask what was wrong, he was already sliding out from under him and looking around frantically. "Shit, Johnny, what time is it?"

Johnny's confusion was obvious. "I dunno...I just woke u-"

"Shit, shit, shit..." Pony kept muttering to himself, finally resting his eyes on his desk and some scattered papers. He groaned, burying his face in his hands, but quickly went to sit in his chair and tried to remember what he was doing. Then he went searching for his pencil. "God, I promised Darry I'd have my homework finished by the time he came home; he's gonna be back soon, and I'm not even halfway finished..."

Johnny sat up, used to Ponyboy's occasional panic-attacks about Darry and his schoolwork and walked up behind Pony as he started hurriedly writing. He wrapped his arms around him, desperately wanting to cuddle. It seemed like it'd been forever since they'd even done that.

"C'mon Pony, I'm sure he'll be okay if you're not done. You had track an' everything, it's not your fault..."

Ponyboy pushed Johnny's arms away, making the other boy flinch slightly because he hit a bruise. Ponyboy didn't even notice. "No...it's not okay, I-I gotta get to work. I skipped practice 'cause I needed to finish this thing and stupid me just fell asleep; Darry doesn't know this paper's already three days late. Sorry Johnny."

Johnny's heart sank as he remembered how Ponyboy could get so wrapped up in his assignments. He didn't even _sound _sorry, which bothered him even more.

"Pony, c'mon...not even for a while...?" he tried again.

Silence was the only answer.

"Ponyboy, I-"

"Dammit Johnny, I don't always time to take care of you!" Ponyboy snapped impatiently.

Johnny felt like he'd been slapped in the face. Ponyboy seemed so irritated by him lately, and him yelling at Johnny like that made the neglect feel even worse. Tears welled up that he tried to hold back.

"I never asked ya' to take care of me Pony...I just wanna be with you. But obviously you don't want that anymore..." He bit his lower lip and turned around, going for the door.

Ponyboy turned around as well, his face softening. "Wait, Johnny...I didn't mean that, I just—I don't have the time for this right now..." he trailed off. He didn't even know what he was trying to say.

Johnny whirled around, the tears trailing down now. "You never have time for me anymore!" he yelled, hurt. "I can't take everyone ignorin' me all the time, I'm sick of it!" He quickly walked out of the room and left Ponyboy's house, slamming the door behind him.

* * *

><p>Johnny wasn't too sure of where he was going, but he had half of an idea. He went to the only person he was sure of being able to find around this time. Picking up the pace so he wouldn't run into any trouble, he headed for a familiar-looking house to find two old friends sitting on the porch drinking. Dally was leaning back shirtless on his porch swing while Two-Bit was trying his hardest not to laugh as he was probably telling him some lame joke.<p>

Two-Bit cut his story short when he realized they had company standing awkwardly at the gate. Johnny hadn't expected anyone to be at Dally's house with him; but he guessed that as long as beer was handy, Two-Bit was expected to be around.

"Heeyyy Johnnycake!" he called to the younger boy. He waved him over as Dally drunkenly lifted his head back up and tried to focus his eyes on the upcoming figure. Johnny was surprised to see that Dally had been drinking a bit more than usual.

Two-Bit's grin disappeared once he saw Johnny's reddened eyes, one still swollen. "Johnny, you alright...? Have you been cryin'?"

Johnny immediately shook his head, not wanting to seem weak in front of Dallas. "No, I was, uh...I just woke up from sleepin'. I'm still a little tired is all."

Two-Bit was skeptical, but didn't push it. He knew better than to grind on Johnny about his problems. "Yeah, well...I was just about to leave ol' Dal here on his porch. His old man ain't been home for the past two days and he seems to have taken a likin' to his beer. You wanna keep an eye on him for me?"

Johnny shrugged. He wanted to be alone with Dally anyway, that was why he came over in the first place. "Sure," he replied.

Two-Bit grinned, ruffling Johnny's hair and getting up and stretching. "What a pal!" He went down the porch stairs and out the gate, calling back, "Remember, if ya' need me, you know where I'll be!"

_Huntin' action as usual..._ Johnny thought to himself, smiling in spit of himself. He turned back to the drunken Dally who looked like he was going to pass out any moment. He frowned a little. What was the point in going to talk to him now that he was totally out of it and not much for talking? But his spirit raised a little higher when Dally managed a low, "C'mere..." Johnny obliged, sitting next to his idol and feeling a little better than before. Dally always managed to calm him down, even when he wasn't saying anything. His presence just had this safe-effect on him.

"Hey...hey Jamie," Dally slurred, slinging an arm around his younger friend and pulling him close.

"Dally it's, Johnny..." he replied back quietly.

Dally grinned. "Yeah Johnny, sure, I knew that.." He pulled Johnny even closer, his lips practically to his ear. "Hey Johnny, guess what man?" he whispered loudly.

Johnny could feel his ears burning with Dally's mouth this close to him. And the smell of booze and cigarettes was as strong as ever, but strangely pleasing.

"What..?" he asked.

Dally suddenly laughed, burying his face in Johnny's neck. Johnny always did love that goofy laugh of his. "I dunno...I...I...oh man...I am out of it man." His arm had a firm grip on Johnny's shoulders as he rested his lips on his burning neck, not noticing the sudden stiffness Johnny had. Dally usually wasn't so touchy around him, but then again, Johnny had never seen him so drunk.

Dally's mouth moved back up to Johnny's cheek, their lips getting even closer. Johnny tried pulling away, but Dallas was a strong guy. Persistent too, when he wanted to be. "D-Dally, what're you doin'..?" Dally didn't know about Johnny and Ponyboy just like the rest of the gang, and that was on the grounds that they weren't like them. They weren't...just a little sexually different. But now Johnny wasn't so sure.

"You're so soft..." Dally mumbled.

_He's just drunk is all..._ Johnny kept trying to tell himself. _He doesn't know what he's doing. Dallas isn't like this._

But all thoughts of that poofed away once Dally forced Johnny to face him. He crashed his lips against Johnny's soft ones, not noticing the still-fresh bruises on the boy's round face and not knowing there were pain signals flying throughout the kid's body. But Johnny felt something else as he sat there frozen with shock. There were these fireworks going off in his stomach, something he only felt from the first few times that he kissed Ponyboy. It almost felt wrong that he was feeling them now.

And Dally wasn't done. He wrapped both arms around him securely, giving him rather sloppy kisses, but kisses all the same. And although hesitant at first, Johnny was soon kissing him back. The pain in his body was numbing with these new fireworks sparking all inside him as Dally continued to kiss him and slide his tongue over Johnny's full lips. The pain in his heart turned into something else, something pleasant. Something warm and familiar that he thought he could only feel with Ponyboy. Dally's kisses were firm and incredible, and the feeling washed all over his bruises.

It was like Dallas was kissing the pain away.

And it made Johnny feel so amazing.


	3. Confusion

**The usual disclaimer: I do not own the Outsiders. All rights belong to S.E. Hinton.**

Chapter 3

Johnny hesitantly wrapped his own arms around Dally's bare waist, pulling him closer and returning his kisses just as eagerly. He parted his lips slightly, inviting Dally's tongue inside his own warm mouth and kissed him surprisingly rough. Dally let out a low moan from his throat and tugged at Johnny's cool jacket; their tongues pushed and slid over each others, Johnny getting quite an aroused reaction from this play. He whined slightly from every touch he received from the older boy's tongue and pulled himself even closer, just to keep that exciting spark going. He'd never felt such pleasure like this before, not even from Ponyboy.

And just like that, the thought of the younger greaser seemed to pull him back into reality. He was now aware of how close he and Dally _really _were; he was leaning back on the swing just a little too far, nearly on his back and Dally practically on top of him, practically _sitting _on Johnny's rising erection. A wave of shame suddenly washed over him, making himself break from their lip contact; Dally pretended not to notice this, going back for another round of kisses and pushing Johnny full on his back. Johnny turned his head away almost immediately.

"Dally, we-we shouldn't be doin' this," he said quietly.

Dally started trailing soft but firm kisses down Johnny's neck instead, provoking a loud, rather high moan from Johnny. "Nobody has to know," he whispered in between kisses. "It'll be our little secret." He slipped a hand up Johnny's shirt.

Johnny gasped, squirming a little. He was enjoying Dally so much, but he knew it was wrong. He was cheating on Ponyboy, there was no sugar-coating that. He tried without success to push Dally off.

"You're drunk," he tried again. "You don't mean none of this anyhow so just...stop, please."

Hearing Johnny beg made Dally pause in his drunken haze. "...you don't like me," he muttered.

"What?" Johnny asked, confused.

Dally sat up, fixing his eyes on Johnny's reddish face. "You don't...you don't _like _me...you don't like _this_..."

Johnny just looked up at him, wondering if he dare work up the courage to ask a rather personal question. Sure Dally was drunk, but he really did seem a little hurt by Johnny's refusal. He licked his lips nervously. "Dallas...a-are you...gay..?"

Dally looked at him for a good long while, blinking slowly. Finally, just when it seemed like he might suddenly fall asleep, "I love you Johnny...I...I can't keep my mind offa you. I ain't queer but...I like you. A lot."

All Johnny could do was stare up at him, dumbfounded. He hadn't expected this type of answer. When Dally realized Johnny wasn't going to say anything else, he leaned back down and kissed him once more. It was starting to get dark already and the shade from the awning over the porch kept them well-hidden from any possible passerby.

Dally was making him feel so confused. All this kissing and sudden confession...it was too much to handle at once. Johnny knew he had two choices:

Go back to Ponyboy and make up with him, never to speak of what happened between him and Dally.

Or stay with Dally, and see if he could make him feel better than Ponyboy ever could.

He pulled away from Dally's lips and looked up at him once more with those big, dark, puppy-dog eyes that could make anyone melt.

"Dal...lemme stay with you tonight."

* * *

><p>Dally woke up with the sun hitting him square in the face. He groaned, blinking away the blurriness and resisting the urge to crawl back under the blanket and ignore yet another hangover. He looked around, trying to remember why he was back in his own bed; it seemed like years since he last slept in it. Looking over, he noticed a lump beside him, snuggled under the blanket. Upon noticing that, he was then aware of a thin arm wrapped around his waist.<p>

He suddenly remembered something: his old man had been gone for a few days now. He probably just brought some broad back to bed with him in a drunken frenzy. But he was puzzled that his jeans were still on if they screwed around. His puzzlement grew even more when he noticed tufts of dark hair poking out from under the blanket; not just dark hair either. Slightly _greased_ black hair. He slowly pulled back the thin blanket, revealing an equally shirtless teenager: Johnny Cade.

Dally didn't know how to react. He froze once he recognized the figure, and felt a little queasy as memories of last night flooded back into his head. He'd been kissing the kid. No, not just kissing. He'd made out with him too... A panic arose in his chest right after that. Why couldn't he remember what happened _after _that? What else did they do?

Without even thinking, desperate for an answer, he gave Johnny a sharp shove onto his back. Johnny gasped, waking up almost immediately. His household had made him a very light sleeper and very paranoid to even the lightest of touches when he slept. His frightened face softened a little once he saw that it was only Dally, but his heart still raced.

"What..? What's wrong?" he asked softly.

Dally was bewildered at Johnny's calmness. Surely he hadn't... "Johnny. What the hell did we do last night?"

"...um, well...we kissed...and then went back inside your house, into here. And by then you were already sleepy, but we were still, uh...kissin' and everything.. But after that you passed out." When Dally didn't say anything, Johnny continued, looking at him carefully. "We didn't do anything if that's what you're so worried 'bout...I'd never do that to ya' when you're drunk."

Dally hated himself almost immediately for picking up that damn beer bottle yesterday. "Yeah...that's right, I was drunk." He continued to stare back at Johnny, thinking how to word his next sentence carefully. He didn't wanna upset the kid. "Johnny...you didn't think that I...that we...?"

Johnny suddenly looked close to tears the way his eyes got watery. "...Didn't think what?"

"I'm not a queer Johnnycake."

There was a long, heavy silence before Johnny was able to utter out a few more words.

"No, Dally...I—you said that you...that you loved me."

Dally couldn't disguise the obvious frown that was creeping up on his face. "Johnny, I told you. I ain't no queer. I would rather die than be some faggot."

Once again, there was that mental slap that just seemed to always be smacking Johnny right in the mouth. And it hit him hard in his chest too. He was trying so hard to keep the tears back as he wordlessly got out of bed and slipped on his jacket, not bothering with his dark shirt. "I-I get it Dal...you don't hafta tell me twice. You got a problem with 'queers...'"

Dally didn't know what to say as Johnny left the bedroom and headed to the front door. His quiet sniffling was so audible, but he couldn't even explain why he did what he did last night. There was no point in trying to make up some lie. He loved that kid, but he wasn't sure it was in _that _way.

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><p>Johnny started running down the street, his chucks smacking the pavement and filling his mind, not sure of where he was going. He had to get out of that town, he desperately needed to. Ponyboy would never forgive him for what he did, and Dally didn't even care that they did something. He wasn't wanted anywhere; it just felt better for him to be living on his own. Or not even living at all anymore.<p> 


	4. Better Off Alone

**((Sorry if we take a while to upload the stories! There's always school and everything, and my girlfriend's a slow writer when she wrote this chapter :P****))**

**The usual disclaimer: I do not own the Outsiders. All rights belong to S.E. Hinton.**

Chapter 4

"I would rather die than be some faggot." That whole sentence replayed in Johnny's head like a broken record player; he felt a huge weight on his chest as he ran down the road. He didn't want to look back only to see Dally's home growing smaller and smaller as he ran as fast as the wind. The sun gleamed down on Johnny; his eyes slightly squinted as the tears spilled out of his eyes like a waterfall, his heart pounding hard inside his chest like a hammer against cloth. He kept running and running; he could see in the corners of his eyes the houses in his neighborhood. Johnny began panting, feeling like his heart was about to burst in his chest, but still he didn't want to stop running. Johnny stopped to catch his breath as he felt the sweat on his forehead run down his face; his body felt all jelly-like and his throat was burning. He turned his head to his left, and there he saw Ponyboy's house. Johnny stopped breathing as he stared at the house; he felt like he hadn't seen or heard from Ponyboy in months. He stood up straight and let the sweat run down his neck, his heart still pounding hard against his chest as he continued to look at the house

…_No. I can't see him, I cheated on him…he'll never forgive me. I'm sorry Pony…I'm sorry it had to end up like this. _More tears spilled out of his puppy dog-like eyes at that thought and he bit his lower lip. He stared at the house for a few more seconds then started to run to his house. Johnny quickly wiped his tears away as his folks' screaming at each other became more audible. He wanted to run away somewhere else, but he didn't know where else to go. When Johnny sucked up the courage, he slowly opened the door; a loud creak echoed through the house, making Johnny wince. The screaming in his house stopped. Johnny slowly stepped inside the house, looking down at the hardwood floor underneath his feet.

"…W-where the…hellll have ya' been?..." he dad slurred. Johnny stood there in silence, his breathing hard, legs trembling. He whimpered loudly once he felt the back of his drunken father's hand strike him on his cheek. "LOOK AT ME WHEN I'M T-TALKIN' TO YA' BOY!..." Johnny smelled the heavy liquor on his old man's breath. He struggled to hold back tears as he slowly looked up at his dad; his old man's eyes were bloodshot red and he had stubbles on his chin and cheeks. He drank more of his whiskey. Johnny's eyes shifted to his mother who was standing behind him with a cigarette in her mouth, looking at her only son with such hatred and disappointment.

"You cryin'?" his dad demanded. "Why you cryin', faggot? I ain't even touched ya'…stop cryin' kid." Johnny felt a familiar sense of fear, being in that house.

His mother exhaled the smoke and mumbled under her breath, "I should've aborted you when I had the chance…I've got a queer for a son." Johnny stared at her with his big, black innocent eyes; she shook her head and walked into the kitchen.

His father started up again, "Quit cryin' boy…I'll give ya' something to cry 'bout…" He drank more whiskey. Johnny suddenly wished he was with Ponyboy. "J-Johnny….where were you?..." Johnny stared at his dad; the man was so drunk he could barely stand up straight. Before Johnny could even answer, his dad punched him right in his face. Johnny fell to floor, letting out a whimper, and got on his hands and knees. He spit out blood as he wiped his wet eyes, looking up at the man he was supposed to call his dad. To Johnny, his dad was a monster that you read about in horror stories; he was a giant, he was big, he was strong…he hurt the little things. "You little cocksuckin' faggot….I hate ya' Johnny, you fuckin' queer…" His dad tugged at Johnny's denim jacket, glaring at his son.

Johnny was breathing hard, staring right back. "Y-you tired of hittin' me yet?" he asked sarcastically, regretting it as soon as the words left his mouth. Johnny's father struck him in his eye, cocking back his fist to hit his cheek, then his jaw. He tried stopping him, but his dad was stronger than him. Johnny began to feel dizzy; he felt his limp body drop to the floor. He had blacked out. A few seconds later when his conscience barely came back to him, he felt a sharp pain in his stomach. His old man was kicking him like some old sick dog. He tried stopping him again, but as always, he was too weak. He drifted back into unconsciousness.

* * *

><p>Johnny awoke hours later, his vision blurry and the house dark. He tried sitting up, but the pain throughout his body made him groan loudly. He couldn't move. And then he remembered what had happened.<p>

"I…I need to leave…everyone would just be better off if I wasn't around anymore," Johnny mumbled to himself, feeling those tears build up inside his eyes again.

He stood up slowly, whimpering softly at the pain he felt all over. He limped his way into the bathroom, turning on the light that blinded him only for a moment. He was startled by his own reflection in the mirror. Johnny's face was swollen, his right eye was black and purple, bruised up so bad that he couldn't even see out of it; his nose was still bleeding and felt like it was broken. His bottom lip was also swollen. There was a huge gash that began on his lower lip to his chin. Johnny sniffed as he trudged towards the mirror, turning on the sink. He was so shaken up that even the sound of the water pouring out scared him too; he splashed his bloody bruised up face with hot water, the splashes stinging badly. After wiping the water dried up blood and water off his face, he turned off the light. He stood there in the dark for a moment.

"I'll be better off alone, nobody'll notice I'm gone…" He wiped his tears away as he quickly walked out of his dark house. He didn't know where he was going, but he desperately needed to get out of town.


	5. Entering Windrixville

**((Chapter 5 is finally here :D**

**Thank you all so much for the reviews, we really appreciate them! ^^ Especially you, Miley and spicygurl! I promise 6 won't take so long to post this time.)**

**The usual disclaimer: I do not own the Outsiders. All rights belong to S.E. Hinton.**

Chapter 5

Johnny Cade had decided to run away from his problems. He didn't know where he was going exactly, but he needed to get away. The wounded boy had fallen asleep in a train that he had snuck into while the train operators were on their break; Johnny was so sore and sleepy that he thought he would just pass out before getting on that train…the train that would take him so far away.

* * *

><p><em>The dark figure was huge, he stood in front of Johnny and Johnny felt embedded to the floor; he couldn't move though he desperately wanted to. The figure moved closer to him and then all of a sudden, it struck the young helpless boy.<em>

"_Ya' cocksuckin' faggot…" the dark figure mumbled to the wounded boy who was lying on the floor. _

_Holding back his whimpers and groans and the dark figure above him had struck him once more._

_The pain was worse than it had ever been; Johnny felt warm liquid pouring down his chin, and then spat out a significant amount of blood. He let out a whimper as he wiped the blood off his chin with a trembling hand looking up at the figure and recognizing the face. His drunken father was staring at him coldly; he tugged at Johnny's denim jacket as his right hand curled up into a fist. _

"…_no…NO DAD!...PLEASE!"_

Johnny's eyes shot open, gasping loudly. The loud ringing whistle of the train had startled him while he was asleep. He had goose bumps all over him and his heart was beating at a fast pace in his chest, his face drenched with sweat.

He sighed in relief while wiping the sweat off his forehead_. Get a hold of yourself Johnny…it was just a dream, he ain't gonna hurt me no more._ Once Johnny's heartbeat settled down, he lifted up his head; his bangs were sticking to his sweaty forehead. He looked around…it was somewhat dark; all he could see were boxes of all sizes everywhere.

He remembered running away after his dad had beaten him nearly to death. He left behind the gang, he left behind Ponyboy... _No, I can't go back…I cheated on him and he ain't gonna forgive me… _Johnny's throat felt dry. He rubbed his sleepy eyes, closing them for a while.

After ten minutes of lying down and trying to shake the sleepiness off, Johnny decided it was time to get off the train. He slowly stood up and felt a sharp pain on both his sides; a soft groan escaped his lips as he felt the pain. He slowly lifted up his shirt only to find fresh dark purple and black bruises near his ribs and on his stomach, confused about them. He then remembered what his old man had done to him.

Johnny sniffed once he pulled his shirt back down, not wanting to see the wounds that his dad had given him; he couldn't keep his balance since the train was still moving at a fast pace. _Oh…the train! How am I gonna get off this train without killin' myself? _Johnny felt terrified, biting his nails nervously. He turned his head to peek out the entrance of the train where he had snuck into last night and was enlightened by the view. It was somewhat dark outside still but the sun was just barely rising behind the mountains; the breeze was cool and there was nothing but green surrounding the outdoors. Johnny's heart was still pounding in his chest but he was trying to gather up all of his courage.

He held onto the side so that he wouldn't stumble around. He couldn't stop staring at the beautiful view though. He had never seen so much beauty in one place. He then looked down at the ground, his eyes widening when noticing how fast the train really was going. _Good lord…if I jump off this train, it'll take me to my death._ Johnny's breathing became faster and the palms of his hands felt sweaty. He immediately thought about staying in the train, only to shake his head once he looked at the view again. _No. I got this far. I can't chicken out now. _He watched the sunrise, the sunlight gleaming on his face and making his good eye squint. He inhaled deeply and exhaled heavily once he gathered up all his courage.

He looked down at the ground once again, hearing his own heartbeat growing louder and louder with every thump. The sweat on his forehead began to run down his cheeks and then his neck. _Just jump Johnny…you can do it._ He inhaled a good amount of air while looking up at the view once more, his eyes began to water up as he felt his heart pounding hard in his chest again. Quickly he closed his tightly and with one huge leap, he was out of the train.

He made a loud 'mmph' sound as he slammed into the dirt; the train whistle went off once more as it passed by Johnny. He was panting and coughing hard, trying to catch his breath since he got the air knocked out of him. He turned his head while he still panted softly, sweat running down his cheek as he watched the train grow smaller and smaller as each second passed. A few minutes later and the train was gone.

Johnny dug his fingers into the dirt once he caught his breath, feeling the soft earth going underneath his fingernails. His body felt numb and his legs were trembling slightly. _Get up, _Johnny commanded himself. He attempted to stand up, wobbling slightly. He managed to get himself to his knees, the sunlight gleaming on his beat-up face as he took another look at the view. Johnny moved his dirty, sweaty hand in front of his good eye and took notice at how delightful the sight really was. If possible, it was even better than before. Everything was green…the grass was greener than string beans and most of the trees were green; Johnny noticed some trees with red, yellow, and even orange leaves. He could see a small meadow of further up ahead. He laid his curious eyes on a little lady bug inside of a nearby orchid, smiling to himself. _Man, it sure is pretty out here. I really wish Pony was here with me… _The thought of Ponyboy made Johnny cringe; his smile faded away as he began to feel that familiar ache right in the center of his chest. He felt bluer than the sky.

After a few moments of sitting around and watching the view, the lonely greaser had gained feeling throughout his entire body again. He stood on his two feet and began wiping the dirt off his jeans, and noticed a couple of rips on them. Johnny wiped the dirt off the sleeves of his denim jacket and his black t-shirt.

"Well…I guess I better start walkin'," the lonely greaser said to himself since he really had no one else to talk to.

Johnny took a step, his foot slightly sinking into the ground; the soil was real squishy and wet. The young teenager took another step, grinning to himself at the feeling of the mud underneath him. He wasn't feeling so blue anymore as he looked straight ahead, his walking starting to turn into a jog. His heart was beating faster than a humming bird's flapping wings as he sped up, soon running as fast as he could; his feet slightly sinking into the soil at each quick footstep, he began panting but he was feeling as free as a bird…he just couldn't stop.


End file.
